hatchet man
noun
1
: one hired for murder, coercion, or attack
2
a
: a writer specializing in invective
b
: a person hired to perform underhanded or unscrupulous tasks (as to ruin someone's reputation)
Examples of hatchet man in a Sentence
She doesn't criticize her opponent's character directly. She has her hatchet men in the media do it for her.
He was fired by his boss's hatchet man.
Recent Examples on the Web
Back home, more pink slips for federal employees go out and the scrutiny of Elon Musk's role as the hatchet man for those agencies intensifies.
—
CBS News, 16 Feb. 2025
Musician and producer Grimes made a rare comment involving her ex-partner and father to her three kids, Elon Musk, after their 4-year-old son appeared alongside the tech mogul turned government hatchet man at the White House on Wednesday.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2025
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, another of President Vladimir Putin’s hatchet men, advised Americans to vote for Donald Trump or risk being dragged into a nuclear war.
—Mitchell A. Orenstein, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2016
In the twenty-tens, the brothers took up solo careers; Malice converted to Christianity (becoming No Malice), as Pusha T became a hatchet man for Kanye West.
—The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2023
The Mondale inner circle wanted Ferraro to play the traditional running-mate role of hatchet man.
—Maureen Dowd New York Times, Star Tribune, 10 Aug. 2020
In a role reversal from their eight years together in the White House, Barack Obama has become Joe Biden’s wingman and, in his understated way, his hatchet man.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2020
To secure the 1800 presidential election, Thomas Jefferson infamously hired a hatchet man named James Callender to spread false rumors about John Adams wanting a war with France.
—A. G. Hamilton, National Review, 25 Oct. 2019
Avigdor Liberman was a penniless former bar bouncer from Moldova, happy to be the hatchet man.
—New York Times, 16 Sep. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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CBS News, 16 Feb. 2025
Musician and producer Grimes made a rare comment involving her ex-partner and father to her three kids, Elon Musk, after their 4-year-old son appeared alongside the tech mogul turned government hatchet man at the White House on Wednesday.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2025
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, another of President Vladimir Putin’s hatchet men, advised Americans to vote for Donald Trump or risk being dragged into a nuclear war.
—Mitchell A. Orenstein, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2016
In the twenty-tens, the brothers took up solo careers; Malice converted to Christianity (becoming No Malice), as Pusha T became a hatchet man for Kanye West.
—The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2023
The Mondale inner circle wanted Ferraro to play the traditional running-mate role of hatchet man.
—Maureen Dowd New York Times, Star Tribune, 10 Aug. 2020
In a role reversal from their eight years together in the White House, Barack Obama has become Joe Biden’s wingman and, in his understated way, his hatchet man.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2020
To secure the 1800 presidential election, Thomas Jefferson infamously hired a hatchet man named James Callender to spread false rumors about John Adams wanting a war with France.
—A. G. Hamilton, National Review, 25 Oct. 2019
Avigdor Liberman was a penniless former bar bouncer from Moldova, happy to be the hatchet man.
—New York Times, 16 Sep. 2019
Dictionary Entries Near hatchet man
Cite this Entry
“Hatchet man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hatchet%20man. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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